BerryPlus - valorisation of by-products from black currant processing

In fruit processing the juice yield is usually around 75-80 %, meaning that 20-25 % of edible material remains as pomace. This byproduct is, in some cases (e.g., apple), further processed to pectin, in other cases such as berries (e.g. grape, but also red, white and black currant) delivered for landfill, incineration or biogas production. Value-adding compounds that are therefore lost for human consumption mainly comprise of protein, dietary fiber, and phenolic compounds.

Because of its high initial moisture content (50 – 75 g/100 dry weight), any attempts to utilize currant pomace require that it is immediately dried. It can then further be milled for being used as food ingredient. It was already demonstrated that incorporation of black currant pomace in baked or extruded cereal foods results in appealing products. For other foods, limiting factors are pomace particle size as advanced milling methods are necessary to achieve a particle size lower than sensory threshold, and color and flavor which could be addressed by isolating valuable compounds (proteins, dietary fiber).
The aim of the project is to develop technologies for fine milling of currant pomace, and strategies for the isolation of currant protein and insoluble dietary fiber to broaden the applicability of the pomace. It is assumed that the isolation procedures can be adjusted in such a way that subsequent isolation of protein and insoluble dietary fiber is possible, and that the applied methods lead to products with increased usability.
The project allows SMEs to generate added value from currant pomace as byproduct, and food producers to improve their products by using fine milled pomace, pomace protein or pomace dietary fiber.

In cooperation with: